Hemiarthroplasty for the Comminuted Fracture of the Proximal Humerus

상완골 근위부 분쇄 골절에서의 상완골 두 치환술

Purpose: Most proximal humeral fractures are minimally displaced and can be treated satisfactorily with a conservative method. But in many comminuted fractures, hemiarthroplasty is usually done as a primary treatment. The authors evaluated how much functional improvement was achieved after hemiarthroplasty and which factors influence on the final functional results. Materials and Methods: Eleven hemiarthroplasties were performed for three- and four-part fractures(including fracture-dislocation) between April 1992 and June 1999. There were eight women and three men, and the mean age was 65 years. According to Neer classification, six was three-part fracture and five was four-part fracture. Six patients were injured on their right shoulder and five on the left shoulder. Among the five four-part fractures, three had axillary nerve injury and among the six three-part fractures, only one patient had axillary nerve injury. The average follow-up period was 2.4 years(1 year-7 years) after operation. The functional results were evaluated with the UCLA scoring system(Modification for hemiarthroplasty). In addition to the overall results, we compared the results according to the classification of the fracture, the cause of injury, and whether the axillary nerve was injured. Results: At the last follow-up, average total UCLA score was 18.2. The mean score for pain was 7.0, mean muscle power and motion score was 5.5 and 5.7 respectively. The pain relief was more satisfactory than any other functional results. The average score for three-part fractures was 22, and the average for four-part fractures was 13.6. The average score for the patients fractured by vehicle accidents was 15.3, and 19.3 for the patients fractured by slip-down injury. In patients without axillary nerve injury, the average score was 20, and with axillary nerve injury, the score was 15. Conclusion: Shoulder hemiarthroplasty, for the treatment of proximal humeral fractures, cannot restore the shoulder function to normal, but can achieve the functional result to some degree, especially for the activity of daily living. And as for pain, we think that it is relatively effective measure. And we think that the severer the comminution, the more the chance of axillary nerve injury, and the poorer the functional results. In conclusion, the severity of initial injury seems to be the major prognostic factor.